Electric alarm



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

C. B UHINNOCK.

ELBGTRIG ALARM. No. 355,384.v K Patented Jan. 4,V 1887.

Jill/miur N. PETERS` Phuw-Lnhmmphen washington, D. C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

BLBGTRIG ALARIM.4

.Patented Jan. 4; 18487.

N PETERS, Plmw-Lllimgmplmr. wnsllingmn, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. CHINNOOK, OF ROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

ELECTRICKALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,384, dated January 4:, 1887.

Application tiled January 3i, 1885. Renewed September 29., i886. Serial No. 214,262. (No model.)

of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tell-Tale Apparatus for Elevators and Railways Generally,

of which the following is a specification.

Many accidents occur in elevators by reason of the omission of the attendants to properly close the doors controlling access from the several iioors'of the buildings furnished with the elevators to the hoistways; and accidents also frequently happen through the failure of the attendants to stop the elevators in the right positions with relation to the doors of the buildings. Similar accidents are liable to happen on railways through the failure to stop trains in the right relation to the stations, or to remove or release at the proper times the means whereby communication between railway-cars and the stations is effected.

It is the obj ect of my present improvement to produce an apparatus whereby danger from accidents of the kind referred towill be obviated, or at' least materially lessened.

I will describe an apparatus embodying my improvement, and then point out the various features of the improvement in the claim.

rBhe accompanying drawings illustrate a building, a hoistway, an elevator working in such hoistway, and a tell-tale apparatus embodying my improvement.

Figure lis a vertical section of the building, taken close to the hoistway. Fig. 2 is a side view of an electric-circuit closer and opener,

whereby the tell-tale apparatus will be made to indicate the stopping ofthe elevator in improper position. Fig. 3 is a face view of this circuit closer and opener. Fig. et is a side view of one of a number of circuit closers and openers whereby the tell-tale apparatus will be made to indicate the failure of the elevator'- attendant to properly close the doors in the passage-ways leading to the hoistway at the several iloors of the building. Fig. 5 is a iace view of the circuit opener and closer which is shown in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a view illustrating a certain modification of my improvement.

Similar letters of reference designate correspending parts in all the gures.

A A A3 A* designate several i-loors in a building. B designates a hoistway for an eleA vator formed therein. C C* C C4L designate sliding doors controlling access to the hoistway from the several floors. D designates the elevater or elevator-car, which, as here shown, is designed to have two compartments and two projections, c e, on one side. The elevator maybe raised and lowered through the agency of a rope or cable, E. All these parts may be of ordinary construction, except as hereinafter mentioned. Any desirable fasteners may be employed for securing the doors when they are closed.

The stiles ofthe doorways, which are opposite the edges of the doors, which are the yforward edgesduring the closing of the doors, are provided with circuit closers and openers F F2 F5 Ft. Each of these circuit closers and openers consists of a meta-l plate, f, provided with a transverselyextending socket, f, and fitted with a metal bolt, f2, which may be moved through 'the plate and socket into and out of contact with a metallic finger, f3, that is secured to ablock of insulating material, j, mounted on the back of' the plate. The socket j", the inner end of the boltf, the llinger f,

and block f* extend into a cavity formed 'for their accommodation, and the plate is fastened in place in a suitable recess by screws or otherwise. The bolt f2 is forced inwardwhenv the door with which it operates is closed, so that a head at its inner end will be removed .from contactwith the finger f3. Nhen the docrisopened, a spring, f 5, which surrounds the bolt,between a shoulder with which the bolt is provided and a iiange at the inner end of the socket in which the bolt works, forces the bolt outward and causes its head to make Contact with the nger again. 4

G G`l G3 G* designate circuit closers and openers, which are controlled by the elevator and arranged in the hoistway at considerable distances above the iioors of the building. Each consists of a metal plate, g, which is secured to the hoistway by screws or otherwise, a metallic iinger, g', affixed to a block ol` insulating material, g2, mounted on the back of the plate and extending into a cavity behind the plate, and a metal lever, g3, hinged at one end to the plate,working through a slot in the plate and adapted to be moved into contact ICO Ametallic iingcr g ot' the circuit closer and with the linger g by means of a spring, 9*, which is connected to it and to the plate, and adapted to be moved out of contact with the plate by the elevator when the latterimpinges against it. Normally, the lever g3 protrudes through the plate f/ into the hoistway, and then itA is in contact with the iinger y', but whenever either ol` two projections, e c", with which the elevator is provided, impinges against said lever it is swung inward, so as to break contact with the finger g.

I will now describe an electric circuit which is connected with the circuit closets and openers that I have described.

H designates an electric battery. Frein one pole of the battery a wire, I, extends to the opener G. From the metal plate g of this circuitcloser and opener G awire, I, extends to the metal plate j' of the circuit closer and opener F. A wire, I, extends from the metallic ngerff' of the circuit closer and opener F tothe metallic finger]V3 ofthe circuit closer and opener F. A wire, I0,extends from the plate j' of this circuit closer and openerF to the plate g ofthe circuit closer and opener G. From the metallic hnger g of this circuit closer and opener Gl a wire, I, extends to the wire I.

From the wire I" a wire, I3, extends to the magnet-coil ofthe electro-magnetic bell J. A wire, I, extends from the magnet-coil of the electro-magnetic bell J to the magnet-coil ofan electro-magnetic bell, J. Frein the magnetcoil ot' the electro-magnetic bell J a wire, I5,

extends to a metal contact-piece, r, of a metal switch, IC. A branch wire, I, extends from the wire I" to amctal contact-piece, 7r, of the switch Ii. From the switch K a wire, Il, ex-

tends to the battery II. By shitting the switch onto the contact-piece la the electro-magnetic bell J will be cutout of circuit; but by shifting the switch onto the contact-piece 1' the eleetro-imignetic bell J as well as the electromagnetic bell J, is in circuit. From the wire I a wire. I8, extends to the metallic ingerg of the circuit closer and opener G2. A wire,

I9, connects the plate f/ of this circuit closer and opener G2 with the platef of the circuit closer and opener F2. lThe metallic finger ofthe circuit closer and opener F2 is connected by a wire, I, to the wire I2. A wire, Il, extends from the wire I to the metallic lnger f/ of the circuit closer and opener G3. The metal plate g of this circuitcloscr and opener is connected by a wire, I, with the metal plate j' of the circuit closer and opener F From the metallic ngerj'i ol' this circuit closerand opener F" a wire, If, extends to the wire I".

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the metallic fingers g of all the circuit closers and openers G G2 G3 GL are connccted with the wire I, that the metallic tingersj'i of all the circuit closcrs and openers F F2 F3 F" are connected to the wire If; that the metal plate q of each circuit closer and opener G G G3 i is connected to the metal platef ot' the adjacent circuit closer and opener F, F2, F, or F; that the wiresI Farein communication with the poles of the battery II, and that the last-named wire I'-Y is in circuit with an electro-magnetic bell.

The electric circuits now being understood, I will explain the operation ol the apparatus which I have described.

If the elevator is not stopped in such relation to a iioor that one ot' its projections e c' will be in contact with the lever g of the circuit closer and opener G, Gi, G, or GL which belongs to that floor, then on the opening ot' the door G, C2, Gi', or CAL ol' the iloor the boltf" ofthe circuit closer and opener F,F2,F3,orF, which operates with such door, makes Contact with the metallic finger f, whereupon the circuit will be closed and an alarm will be sounded by one or both of the electromagnetic bells. If the elevator is, under any circumstances, moved past the Iloor, and the door has not been properly closed, an alarm will be sounded in the same manner as just described. If, however, the elevator is stopped in proper position,nc alarmvean be sounded through the action of any of the circuit closcrs and openers F,F2,F, or Fl. It is also true that if each door has been properly closed no alarm can be sounded through the action of any of the circuit elosers and openers G, G2, G, or G4.

rIwo projections, c ci, are employed on the elevatorfbecause the .elevator has two conipartments. These projections are made of considerable length, in order that the attendant of the elevator shall not be required to stop the elevator with unnecessary accuracy.

A normally-closed instead ol a normallyopen electric circuit may be used. A shunting of the electric current, instead of an opening or closing ol` a circuit, may be resorted to, if desirable.

The electro magnetic bells are, as here shown, arranged to give an alarm to some special person in the building-as, for instance, the janitor. An electro-magnetic bell can also be arranged to sound an alarm in the elevator, if suitable electrical connections between the wire I2 and the elevator are provided. I have shown such an arrangement in Fig. 6,in which a loop in the wire I is in electrical connection with an alarm, J, in the elevator'. Said loop is preferablyinclosed in a 'Ilexible tube or hose, J4, and is ot' such length that it may follow the elevator to the i'nll extent ol its upward and downward movements.

The elevator and hoistway are, in eltect, a vertical railway, and the various lioors are stations of this railway.

Obviously the same apparatus can be applied to ordinary passenger and freight horizontal railways.

Instead of having each door itsell' operate IOD IIO

355,384 l v i the corresponding circuit elosei` and opener by the car, and circuit-changers operated by Io F,F2,F3,or F2 a hasp, lock, or fastening may the doors, substantially as deseribed,wl1ereby do this. It would in effect be the same thing. a failure to 'properly close a dooi` or to stop W'hat I claim as my invention, and desire l the car in proper relation to the station will 5 to secure by Letters Patent, isbe indicated.

The combination, with a car, a number of C. E. CHINNOOK. stations Where the ear is designed to stop,and Witnesses: a door at each station, of an alarm apparatus7 WVM. G. LPsEY, an eleetrio circuit, ciremit-changers operated E. T. ROCHE. 

